April 5

The night before last I awoke to a loud thunderstorm and we got some rain. That was a good thing because it has been a rather dry spring. Unfortunately the warm weather left us. Yesterday remained fairly mild, but the wind came up to the chagrin of cherry-blossom admirers.

Today it was unseasonably cold, in the--brr--40s. I didn't go for a walk at lunch because, while I was wearing a warm suit and had gloves, I neglected to bring a coat. The wind was too fierce for me to want to go out, but my SO and I bundled up and went for a walk in the extending neighborhood tonight before dinner. The Bradford pears are losing their blossoms and beginning to leaf out. A big Bradford pear on our street split and lost some large branches. They're lovely trees but have this major fault as they age.

"Red," the red-bellied woodpecker who regularly visits our yard and suet feeder, is working on the remains of the tall white ash tree and appears to be hollowing out room for a nest. We so hope that he and "Lola" will make it their home this spring. The tree died a few years ago, probably as a result of ash borers, and we had certified arborists take the majority of it down. We left at least 20 feet of trunk as a magnet for wildlife and have not been disappointed. We've seen owls sitting atop it at dusk sometimes.

Speaking of owls, my SO has been seeing and hearing a large pair regularly and recently. We've even heard their hooting during regular daylight hours. We should read up more on them since we thought owls slept during the day.

I stopped at the Stone Bridge yesterday after work on my way to visit my mother at her nursing home. I was wearing heels, but didn't have to walk too far to check on the bluebells there. An impressive stand was in bloom, but I don't think they've peaked yet. I hope to take a long walk there along Bull Run over the weekend with my SO. If it's sunny, the combination with the spring beauties should be stunning. I'll take pictures, but they never do justice to the real life scene.

Speaking of that drive, the small redbuds along Rt. 29 by Conway Robinson Memorial State Forest were so abundant and absolutely stunning. I love those delicate purple blossoms that outline the branches.

The phlox stolonifera along the front walk is blooming well. The local wildflower society, of which I am a member, would like me to share some for the wildflower plant sale in May, but I need to be careful that I don't deplete what I have. Some ajuga has invaded it, and it is more agressive. Nearby the mayapples are popping through the leaf litter. The non-native troutlilies that I have in the front yard are just beginning to bloom and are so lovely in yellow. I love the natives too, but they are not carried much in the nursery trade, and we wouldn't want wild dug plants anyway.

The red and yellow tulips are blooming. I haven't put new bulbs in the ground for a few years, so these are amazingly perennial. I love them be when they are open just a little, but I got some photos of them before work where they are tightly closed as a reaction to the cold morning temperatures.

Even if it's cold, at least we have the colors of spring.

April 3

Beautiful warm day today--and extension of yesterday. I see that my second bluebell post was unnecessary because the first post turned out fine. Oh well, what an inauspicious start.

I'd like to chronicle some of the things I see on my daily walks on the grounds and woods around my office. Yesterday I saw a gorgeous hawk in a tree near the trail. The two ladies walking a ways ahead of me didn't even notice him. He was stunning. He was large and with the russet coloring, must have been a red shouldered hawk. I always get those mixed up with red tailed hawks and will have to get out the bird boo for that.

The beavers continue to dam up the pond, and there is always water across the trail at the lower pond. Frogs were singing down there today, but I could not spy them. Perhaps if I'd lingered longer, I could. The skunk cabbage is abundant below the ponds this year -- probably a result of the flooding caused by the beavers. Workers were busy at the 911 memorial garden today and I will have to check it out sometime soon, though it is outside my usual route.

At home, the bluebells are coming on strong in the back yard. The weather is expected to turn much cooler tomorrow through the weekend, so that might retard their coming peak bloom time. That's okay with me because springtime is all too rapid a succession.

Bluebell

For some reason, this bluebell photo did not show up in our first post. It was clearly in the draft, so go figure!

First Post-Early Spring

I've decided to start this blog because I love the flowers of nature and want to chronicle their bloom times in the garden or in the wild. We're already well into spring here in Northern Virginia so I'll start with some flowers of March. I've posted some garden shots on my cats' blog, but that's only appropriate when I can get the cats to pose in the garden.

The snowdrops, crocus, and Iris reticulata are all long past, and we're now into the peak season for the famous cherry blossoms, the ubiquitous Bradford pears, and forsythia. The enchanting and delicate redbud trees are starting to come into their glory, and the fleeting serviceberry tree outside the bay window in the kitchen is ready to pop.


The poor hellebores had a hard time this year. January was so mild that they began blooming then, but February and early March were very harsh, so the blooms and foliage took a beating.

Other delicate spring blooms were enchanting, but difficult to capture with my inexpensive camera.

Daffodils are already beginning to fade by now.

Here's a cute little anemone in the leaf litter of the beds in the front yard.

Some of the wildflowers are now beginning to bloom. Here is a fleeting bloodroot.

My favorite Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) have started to bloom. I look forward to visiting them in the wild along the banks of Bull Run.

I love SPRING!